Automobile-wheel.



BEST i AFi'HmABLE CO? H. B. COATS.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL.

nruonxox rmm no. a. 1m.

1,040,51 1 Patented 00s. a, 1912.

! BKEETBQKEET 1.

Inventor Attorneys H. B. COATS. AUTOIOBILB WHEEL.

Arrupnxol rmzn AUG. 29, m1.

1,040',51 1 Patented Oct. 8,

B lHBBTB-BEEBT 2.

Witnesses Inventor Atto rneys To all whom it may concern:

fifisi assesses 7 Americans-wanna.

mm... man man. a Patented Oct. 8,

CoA'rs, a States residing .at

Be it known that I HENRY citizen ofthe United Veedersburg, in the countyof Fountain and E State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulAutomobile-Wheel, of which the following is a specification.

It is the ob ect of the present invention to provide a vehicle wheel,the pneumatic element of which is housed within the hub whereby a each;element may be protected from injury.

A further object of the invention. is to. provide a novel means formountin a pneumaticelement within the hub, an to provideganti-frictionelements of novel and imroved construction, operating to lessen theriction between certain component members of the structure. With theforegoingand other b ects 1n view which will appear as the descriptionroceeds, the invention residesin the comination and'arrangeme nt ofparts and lay the details of construction hereinafter de scribed andclaimed, it being understood that chan invention erein disclosed can bemade w thinthe scope of what is claimed without de in the preciseembodiment of partin from the spirit of theinvention.

- In t e accomp nying drawings-Figure 1. is a fragments side elevationof a wheel constructed in sccordance: with. the present invention. Fig.2.' is a .diametral section of the structure ap caring in Fig. 1; Fig. 3

- is asection upon t line A-B of Fig. 2i

and Fig. 4 is a section of-one;of. the bal cages, together with apprtion of the sup-, porting member in whic the ball cages are. mounted.i

In carrying out the invention there is provided a casing 1, having aside wall 2. Attached to the inner face of the side wall 2 is a bearingplate 8. Removably secured to the 0 en, inner side of the casm 1, is anannu ar closure member 1, to w ich is secured a bearing plate 5,positioned opposite to the bearing A brake drum 6 is shown, the samehaving a tubular extension 7 through which extends an'axle 8, the samebeing secured togcther for simultaneous rotation. In the bearing platethere is an opening 9 and in the si e wall-2 of the casing an bearingplate 8 there areopenin openings- 9. and 10 are of suflielent size so tat the casing may have movement upon in the be 10. The

Application anten a as, 1911. serial in. 848,698.

the axle 8, transversely of the same, without strikin the axle or theextension 7 of the brake rum. A cover 11 for the brake drum is provided,the cover 11. being sup- ;ported from the vehicle frame in any com- -monor well known manner.

The casingll carries spokes 12, the spokes supporting t e rim 14, andthe run carrying the tire 15, it being understood that the rim 14 andthe tire 15 maybe of any desired form. A'cap nut 16 is provided for theaxle 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

- The invention further includes a supportingmember, taking the form ofa plate, I w 1 ch. supportin member or plate 17 is located within t ecasing 1, between the bearing plates 3 and 5. The supporting member?! isattached to the extension 7 of thebmkedrum 6, so that the supportingmember will receive a drive directly from the axle 8 the braking eifectof the drum 6 being a li d to the wheel through the 511 pporting memberor plate 17. The support- ;in member 17 is peripherally equip ed W1 h arim 18, carrying a tire 19, prefera bly an inflatabet neumatlilc tire,ftthte tire bcarin a ms l e penp e o e casing l, th 'c s ing 1 bein ada ied to receive the tire. The side we 1 2 o the casing and the closuremember 4 are convened outwardly, as shown;at20 so as to permit the tirel9 to'expand without striking the casing or the closure member.

The invention further includes a plurality of ball cages one of which isshown clearly in Fig. 4. lilach ball cage consists of separate members21, of tubular form, these members 21 being threaded at their innerends, as shown at 22, to engage with the supporting member 17. The endsof the members 21 are contracted as shown at 23, to retain the balls 24in the ball cages. The balls 24, however, extend beyond the ends of theball ca es, so as to bear anti-frictionally against t e plates 3 and 5.The bulls 24 engage with each other, adjacent the median plane of thewheel. The members '21 of the cages may be further held in place withinthe supporting member 17 by means of nuts 25 which are threaded upon themembers 21 of the ball cages, the nuts enga ing Io pposlte faces of thesupporting mem- The bearing plate 3 is equipped with inwardly pro ectingstuds 26, extended through the bearing plate 5, there being nuts 27 uponBEST AVAILABLE COP posed faceof the late ba erring; ar ticularly to Fig.3 it will be seen that t ere are openings 28 in the supporting'member;

17, through which openings studs 26 pass. The vdiameterof these -openingreater than the diameterof t e studs 26. 2

It will be noted that the "axle 8 serves 'as a support for the member17, the member 17 carrying a tire'19, and the tire 19 supporting acasingfl'yieldingly. Relative movement between the casing 1 and themember 17 is possible, because of the size of the openings 10 and 9, ascompared with the diameter of the axle, and because of the fact that,asshown in Fig. 8, the openings 28 in the supporting member 17, are muchater than the diameter of the studs 26 which pass through theseopenings. I

The drive, an the raking effort, areaplplied directly to the supportingmember 1 and' should the neumatic tire 19 fail, the

studs26 will stil afford an operative ,con-

nection between the casing 1 and the axle 8, whereby the driving ofthewheel may be.

continued. Obvious ,relative movementbe tween the su porting member 17-and the casing is fac' itated, owin' to the fact that the'balls 24bearagainst t e plates 3 and 5.- Moreover, asthe ball ca e is contracted atits ends, as shown 'at'28, t e balls 24 willbe prev'entedfrom havingmovement lon itudi-' nall of the ball ca Therefore, alt iou'gh the allsexercise t eir proper functions as antifriction elements, they may, "atthe same vent the wheel from movin transversely of the axle 8 with awebbing motion; when the wheel is rotating.

Havin thus described the invention, what is claime is: j

1. A wheel comprisinga supporting member adapted to be secured to anaxle; an inclosing structure about the supporting member and adapted tohave movement transversely of an axle; resilient means for limiting themovement of the inclosin structure transversely of the axle; a series 0rotatable anti-friction elements bearing upon spaced parts of theinclosing structure, said parts of the inclosing structure constitutinmeans for maintaining the anti-friction e ements 1n contact with eachother transversely of the wheel; and means in the supporting member forholding the anti-friction Iele- 28-is-much' ment s against'movementtransversely of the ;wheel, whereby the anti-friction elements willprevent lateralmovement of the inclos ing structure with respect to thesupporting member.

: 2.';A wheel comprising a supporting member adapted to be secured to anaxle; an inclosing structure surrounding the supporting member andadapted to have movement transversel of an axle; ball cages comprisingseparabe parts threaded into the supporting *member at their inner,meeting on 8 and extended throu 'll the supporting mem r transversely ofthe same; balls in the ball ca es, the ball cages being contracted att1e1r ends to prevent the balls from moving transversely of thesupportin member, the balls enga 'ing the inclosing structure on' 'bbthsides 0? the median plane oftli'e wheel; and a neumatic tire carried bythe periphery of t e supporting member and enga 'ng the inclosingstructure. '8. A w ee comprising a supporting member adapted tobejs'ecured to an axle; an

tinclosing structure surrounding the supporting member and'adapted tohave movement transversely of an axle; securing elements -un1t1ng "oposite points on the incloslng structure, t e securing elements beingmovable m'enlar d openings 1n the supporting ;member;-bal cagesmounted'in the supportingmemberatransversely of the same and comprisingseparable arts the meeting ends of which.are =threade .member;nu'ts uponthe b'a1l=cages and ontime, engage with the plates 8 and 5 t'o'pre-- t esame between theopenings and to hold the parts'of the'cages a instrotation in the supporting memberba Is in the ball cages,

l cages being contracted the ends of the bal to 1prevent the balls frommoving longitudina y in the ball cages, theballs being ad apted to engae the mclosing structure upon opposite si es of the median plane of thew eel andto enga each 0t 101 adjacent the median lane 0 the wheel; and atire carried by t e periphery of the supporting member and engagin theinclosing structure. In testimony that claim the foregoing as my own, Ihave hereto ailixed my signature 1n the presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY B. COATS. Witnesses:

FRANK B. Oonsmmrman, LENA WILLSON.

copies or this patent may be obtained for are cents each, by addressingthe Oommlssioncr of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

